Thomson High School's Skills USA Construction Club wins pair of state titles

By Billy W. HobbsStaff Writer

In the fields of carpentry and plumbing, Thomson High School ranks the best in Georgia.

"I'm very proud of the seven members on our Skills USA Construction Club," said Advisor Barry Arrington. "I think they represented Thomson High School and Region 6 very well."

Team members participated in state competition at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, where they won a pair of individual state titles and finished third as a team in another event.

Senior Justin Samuels captured the carpentry state title, while another senior, John Dickens, won the state plumbing championship.

"Justin and John came out and really dusted off the rest of the field," said Mr. Arrington.

Finishing in third place in individual competition, involving residential wiring, was sophomore C.J. Elliott.

From a team perspective, the THS Skills USA Construction Team placed fourth in overall competition, which included a number of teams from schools throughout Georgia. The THS team included: Will Barmore, a senior; Jeffrey Hadden, a junior; Dalton Herrington, a sophomore; and Julian "Boo" Cowart, a freshman.

This year is the third consecutive year that the Thomson team has won the overall Region 6 crown.

"That's pretty good when you consider that three of the seven members on our team have only one year of experience," said Mr. Arrington.

Thomson High Assistant Principal Mike Smallwood praised the team for their outstanding accomplishments this year.

"I've been down to see them work in the classroom and it's quite fascinating what these kids can do," said Mr. Smallwood. "It's really very impressive."